Paralleled Storylines
by cr8vgrl
Summary: Sometimes, getting the person you know is in love with you to admit their feelings takes drastic, measures. 101 Prompts Challenge. Oneshot!


**This is Prompt No. 25-Cheesy **

Caitlyn pitched the book she had been reading into the corner along with the rest of the books that she had checked out from the library. Her one chance for the week at obtaining books graphic enough to give her nightmares until she could return to the library again had been thwarted. She groaned loudly as she rolled over, pressing her face into her pillow. "_Why_ did I let mom help me pick out books?" she asked herself even though she knew the answer. She had cut the closing time short once again and needed a second pair of hands to help her get as many good books as possible.

"Idiot," she muttered, berating herself. Every single book started off with some cheesy romance, and though she had read each of them for a couple of chapters, no one had gotten blown up or shot yet, so another book had been added to the pile. But now, she had nothing to occupy her mind for a whole week.

As if on cue, her cell phone rang and she flipped it open, asking, "Hello?" a little gruffer and more impatient than she intended.

"Caitlyn Gellar, you never cease to amaze me," the voice at the other end said, not offended, but amused.

"Really?" Caitlyn asked, partially sarcastic and partially skeptical.

"Yup. See, most people would be _so_ thrilled that school was over that they wouldn't even be in the house. Yet you, on the other hand, sound so grouchy that you wish school would continue forever. Summer hater!"

Caitlyn actually laughed at that. "Thanks Nate," she told her friend. "Why don't you just announce it to the whole world!"

"I just might," Nate said mysteriously, "unless you give me something to keep me quiet."

"A gag?" Caitlyn asked innocently.

"Watch it, Miss Gellar, or you just might find the headline, 'Summer Hater on the Loose,' decorating your front page in the morning."

Nate's threat carried no weight for Caitlyn, since she could tell that he was struggling not to laugh even as he threatened, but his company always made her feel much better, so she played along. "So what do you want from me?" she asked, mock testily. "A few thousand in unmarked bills?"

She heard Nate muffle a snicker before he said, "No, that would be too easy." He paused for a moment and then said, "Meet me in fifteen minutes down at the theater. You treat, I pick."

"Torture indeed," Caitlyn muttered as she reached for her very slim wallet.

"Your choice, Miss Gellar: the theater or the front page."

"I'll be there," Caitlyn said in a low, deadly voice that had her struggling not to laugh.

"Good," Nate said. "And Caitlyn?"

"Yeah?"

She could almost hear him smiling over the phone. "I expect you to pay in unmarked bills. This message will self-destruct in three seconds." The line went dead and she burst out laughing.

"Whatever," she said with a grin and a shake of her head as she hopped off her bed. Nate had officially been watching too many spy movies.

She slipped out the door and locked it behind her, striding quickly down the street and up the few blocks to the local theater, barely noticing that the sky was getting darker, blotched with black clouds. Though she was a couple of minutes early, Caitlyn found Nate leaning casually against the wall, and she caught her breath. For three years, she had smothered her feelings for Nate, but they were quickly looming up, threatening to choke her.

Pushing the butterflies in her stomach as far down as they would go, she stepped in front of Nate and said humorously, playing along, "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to follow me."

His beautiful eyes danced, and Caitlyn felt the butterflies rise on their own accord. "Did you bring the unmarked bills?"

Caitlyn dug around in her purse for a moment and then smirked. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement," she said evenly, dangling a baggy of diabetic chocolate chip cookies in front of his face.

Nate licked his lips as he eyed his all time favorite snack. "Your lack of carefulness can be overlooked this time," he told her as he grabbed the cookies. He smiled at her and asked, "So what happened to make you so upset?"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "It's all thanks to my mom," she muttered. "She picked out all these cheesy books at the library, and I can't stand to read any of them! No one gets dismembered, so it's no fun."

Nate laughed. "Sounds like I called at just the right time," he said. Then, his chin lifted and he became businesslike again. "You'd best hand over your money and stand over there. I don't want you seeing what I pick." He pointed to a seat right next to the door, away from the ticket booth.

"Nate!" Caitlyn whined, acting completely "unprofessional." "Why can't I stand with you?"

Nate rolled his eyes tolerantly. "Oh cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it," he told her cheekily. "Plus, I paid last time and we had a deal. You pay, I pick, so sit."

He waved her off and she turned to go, but she whipped her head around and gave him an excellent comeback. "Cry _me_ a river and build a bridge so that I can push you off," she retorted. The last thing she saw before she whirled back around was Nate's smirk.

She watched, worried, as he inched his way up the ticket line, finally reaching the window and saying something before pushing the money, _her_ money, through the slot. He took the two tickets and smiled at the seller before he strode confidently back over to where Caitlyn sat. "Ready?" he asked.

"No," she told him. "I hope you got something good. That was this week's allowance."

"Oh, it'll be good," Nate promised mysteriously, refusing to let her look at the ticket. He handed them to the teenager at the door and guided Caitlyn into the small theater, stopping to buy popcorn and two drinks with his own money this time. Caitlyn begrudgingly thanked him and they headed into the correct theater number, picking a seat in the middle of the deserted room.

"This one's going to win an Academy Award for sure," Caitlyn said sarcastically, glancing around pointedly. "Probably for Most Seen in Theaters, or something like that."

"Very funny," Nate told her and passed her a drink. "Just sit back and enjoy it. You might just be surprised."

"Fine," Caitlyn huffed, reminding herself that anything was better than being stuck in her room with those cheesy novels.

The lights began to dim, and no one else came into the theater. Caitlyn munched on the popcorn as the previews began to appear on the large screen. She started shifting uneasily as she realized that none of the previews seemed appropriate for the violent, gory movie she had been hoping for. "Nate," she whispered hesitantly.

"Shh," he hushed her gently. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Try to enjoy it," he whispered to her.

Caitlyn sat back with a grin on her face, not noticing Nate's sideways glances in her direction. For the rest of the previews, all she could think of was Nate's lips on her skin. Quickly though, when the movie began, Caitlyn sat up straight. After a few moments of film wasted on rolling landscape, the movie actually began, and Caitlyn realized that she was trapped.

She had seen enough movies to know that chick flicks had a different lighting texture to them than a horror film, and this was definitely a chick flick. She glanced in horror at Nate, appalled that he had actually picked a cheesy movie for her. What was this world coming to? First cheesy books, now cheesy movies!

Trying to be subtle, she set her drink in the cup holder next to her and slid to the edge of her seat. With a jolt, she was out of her seat, sprinting towards the exit before the real torture could begin, but she never made it. Nate, with completely unfair reflexes, had caught her by her belt loop and was pulling her back. "You're not leaving," he told her firmly.

"Traitor," she muttered angrily, slumping in her seat.

As the movie inched along, Caitlyn found herself slightly interested in what was taking place, though she was slightly uncomfortable as to how close to the story of her life this was. The star of the show had feelings for her best friend, but she had no idea how to tell him, so they ended splitting apart only to get back together, kissing in the rain as the credits began to roll.

Cailyn couldn't help herself. She started cracking up, doubling over her knees. "You paid money for that?" she wheezed out at Nate.

He poked her in the ribs. "So it wasn't original, and it wasn't that great of acting either, but we ended up having fun, right?" He grinned. "Plus, you technically paid money for it, not me."

Caitlyn shook her head. "Shame on me," she said. They gathered up their popcorn container, napkins, and drinks, heading toward the exit and dumping the trash into the trashcan. "Still, who would've thought that you, Nate Gray, would take me to a chick flick? It's totally against all the unspoken friendship rules we've forged over the years."

Nate laughed at her rant, but only said, "I thought it might offer some food for thought."

"On _what_?" Caitlyn teased. When she saw the deep, searching look in his eyes, she whirled towards the door. This was getting far too close to home. A moment later, her attention was completely captivated by the sight outside. "Oh no!" she gasped.

"What?" Nate asked, coming to stand next to her.

Caitlyn pointed towards the front doors of the theater to where the world was obscured by sheets upon sheets of rain. "This is summer!" she exclaimed. "It's not supposed to rain!"

Nate laughed. "It's kinda like the movie," he observed, causing Caitlyn to jump slightly in surprise. It was, and it was beginning to feel too coincidental.

"Ugh," Caitlyn muttered, ignoring his observation. "Well, should we run for it? We can't just stay here."

Nate shrugged. "Fine by me. Will you melt?"

Caitlyn slapped his shoulder, smiling at his teasing. "I think not," she told him. They positioned themselves close to the doors. "On the count of three," she told him. "One, two, three!"

They tore out of the theater, bracing themselves for a cold rain, but it was relatively warm, and Caitlyn stopped running when they reached the corner of the street, stretching her arms out and twirling around, her uplifted face inviting the rain to splash down on it. She began to laugh, and Nate, soaking wet, laughed along with her.

"Why did you really take me to that movie?" Caitlyn asked, finishing her twirling and stepping closer to Nate.

"Like I said before, I was hoping it would give you some food for thought," Nate told her.

"On what?" Caitlyn asked again, but without the sarcasm. All that was left was curiosity.

Nate stepped closer to her as well and said softly, "On telling me how you feel about me."

Caitlyn's head snapped back in shock, and she took a step back from Nate. He countered her move by stepping forward. "I don't know what you mean," she told him.

Nate rolled his eyes and bent his head towards hers. "You know how we have regular sleepovers?" he asked.

"Yeah…" Caitlyn said hesitantly.

"Well," Nate said with a grin, "you talk in your sleep." Caitlyn's face colored with a deep blush, but Nate went on softly. "I've been waiting and waiting for you to say something, because I knew that if I said something first, you wouldn't tell me how you really felt." He shrugged. "My mom liked that movie, and she suggested it to me as a last resort." He moved closer to her and asked, "Do you still feel that way?"

At the moment, Caitlyn couldn't think straight, so she simply nodded. "Yes," she said quietly.

With a slow, movie-like gentleness, Nate tipped Caitlyn's chin up and leaned down, kissing her softly. His arm wound around her waist while the other one stayed firmly on her cheek. Caitlyn's hand crept up to rest on his shoulder and the other one slid up to the base of Nate's neck.

When they pulled away, Caitlyn smiled shyly and asked, "So you did all of this just to get me to tell you about my feelings?"

Nate grinned and nodded. "Why else would I ask your mom to pick out a bunch of silly books, and then take you to a cheesy movie?"

Caitlyn's eyes widened. "_You_ were responsible for that?" she asked disbelievingly.

Nate nodded. "Guilty," he admitted. "Perhaps I can make up for ruining your reading week by taking you out to lunch tomorrow."

Caitlyn smiled, shocked yet thrilled that she and Nate were finally together. "Sure," she said. "You pay, I pick?"

Nate laughed. "Sure," he said. "I owe you that much after dragging you to that movie."

Caitlyn hugged him tightly. "It was surprisingly paralleled," she told him. "I mean the storyline, and then the feelings coming out on a street corner and the kissing in the rain bit." She smiled. "Cheesy," she muttered, but her eyes sparkled. "But at least you didn't plan for it to rain as well," she said flippantly.

Nate cleared his throat uncomfortably, causing Caitlyn to look up at his face. "Well," he said slowly.

It clicked, and Caitlyn gaped at him openmouthed. "You planned for the rain as well?" she cried. "You waited until it would rain?"

Nate shifted, bordering between shyness and amusement. "I waited a really long time for the forecast to predict rain," he admitted. He smiled down at her. "It all had to be perfect," he told her.

Caitlyn wrapped her arms around Nate's neck and laughed. "You and your thoughtfulness never cease to amaze me," she told him.

"So you had fun?" he asked, clarifying.

Caitlyn nodded and stood on her tiptoes for another kiss. Just as her lips brushed his, she whispered, "It was so cheesy, but it was wonderful." Then, she kissed him again.

They stood there, entwined in each other's arms, with the rain pelting down on them for quite a while. Just like the movie that had just been watched, the scene looked completely romantic, but not out of place. The only difference: this romance had no credits.

**A/N: I wrote this last night because I couldn't find the flash drive for my other story. :( But I hope you liked it anyways! Please review!!!! Shoutout goes out to Christy (RiceMover) for Caitlyn's wonderful bridge quip. Love you Christina, and thanks for the inspiration! **


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